Soup To Nutz

In honor of Columbus Day, as we celebrate Italian culture in America and the discovery of the Americas (depending on whom you talk to), I did a little digging and found some interesting information for the “betcha didn’t know that” file. Most major CPG companies have very humble beginnings. Some were founded by women, and a few were founded by Italian immigrants. Anthony Talamo Rossi was the founder of Tropicana Products. He was born in 1900 in Messina, Sicily and immigrated to the United States soon after. As was typical of the immigrants of that time, he was spoke no English and had little formal education. During the 1930s, Rossi ran a grocery store on Long Island, farmed in Virginia and later ran a cafeteria in Bradenton, FL. After World War II, Rossi bought a small orange juice company in Florida and hand-delivered juice jars to customers. In 1954, he invented a pasteurization process to pack chilled juice in glass bottles, allowing the juice to be shipped and stored without refrigeration. Soon after, Rossi also invented a method to freeze whole citrus juice. By the mid 1950s, millions of gallons of Tropicana orange juice were being delivered by ship and rail all along the Eastern Seaboard. Rossi was also a big advocate for including orange juice in school lunch programs and regularly made trips back to Sicily, where he helped build a church and mission. The company went public in 1969 and Rossi sold Tropicana to Beatrice Foods in 1978; it was ultimately sold to Seagram’s in the 1980s. He then retired, and was inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1987. The company was sold to PepsiCo in 1988 and remains in the portfolio today. Rossi passed away in 1993, but his philanthropy continues through his Aurora Foundation, which funds various Christian programs.

Planters Peanut Company was founded by Italian immigrant Amedeo Obici in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Obici arrived in the United States in 1888 at the age of 11 by himself with less than a dollar in his pocket. He had a tag on his coat saying he was going to meet his uncle, a fruit vendor, who had already immigrated to the U.S. and was living in Scranton with his family. Obici later moved to Wilkes-Barre for better opportunities, opened his own fruit stand, and invested in a peanut roaster. Obici turned peddler within a few years, using a horse and wagon. The story goes that in 1906, Obici entered a partnership with Mario Peruzzi, who had developed his own method of blanching whole roasted peanuts, doing away with the troublesome hulls and skins. So, with six employees, two large roasters, and crude machinery, Planters was founded. It was acquired by Standard Brands in 1960. In 1981, Standard Brands merged with Nabisco Brands, which was acquired by Kraft Foods in 2000. Happy Columbus Day to all!

Brown’s ShopRite of Fairless Hills recently announced the winning non-profit organization receiving a $10,000 donation in honor of the store’s recent remodel: Levittown Fairless Hill Rescue Squad, which will use the donation to purchase protective equipment. The contest, created in honor of the Fairless Hills store’s renovation and to show its ongoing commitment to the community, was announced at the ribbon cutting of the new ShopRite’s Brown’s Chef’s Market at the end of August. While the program was intended to only award one grand prize of $10,000 for the organization getting the most community votes, it was decided by the company to award a runner up prize of $1,000 to any organization that received more than 1,000 votes. “We have partnered with this community for over 15 years and want to let everyone know just how much we appreciate them,” stated Jeff Brown, CEO and president of Brown’s Super Stores. “We want to make this donation in honor of our newly remodeled ‘Hometown’ Supermarket.”

As we continue to face the challenge of growing obesity rates, particularly among children, the Produce Marketing Association’s Eat Brighter! movement is gaining more support among companies in the food industry. The initiative, which intends to change the game of marketing in the fresh produce industry, currently has the support of more than 40 retailers representing more than 19,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada. Retailers are eager to accept the Sesame Street-branded produce into their stores. A series of updates has been added to the program and marketing to allow produce industry members to incorporate the Sesame Street character images, royalty-free, into their marketing strategies. “We’re delighted by the response from both the supply- and buy-side of the industry,” says Cathy Burns, president of PMA. “We’ve spoken with each and every one of these companies, and they believe in the movement to help kids eat more fruits and vegetables. They are all industry leaders, and recognize that success is defined through the collaboration and support they lend to one another.”

“The goal here is grand, but simple – to change the conversation around fresh produce and inspire kids to think about fruits and veggies in a completely different way,” says Todd Putman, chief marketing officer of Bolthouse Farms and chair of PMA’s marketing taskforce. “The U.S. is in a serious health crisis – one third of all kids are obese and our industry has the answer. The Eat Brighter! movement is exactly what we need to help the entire industry come together, change that conversation, and ultimately create healthier generations for decades to come.” Procacci Brothers Sales Corporation is the latest produce company to join the Eat Brighter! campaign. Procacci will be featuring Sesame Street characters on its popular tomato products, namely Santa Sweets Authentic Grape tomatoes (organic and conventional) and UglyRipe Heirloom tomatoes. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to feature Elmo, Big Bird and their Sesame Street friends on our products,” said Procacci’s vice president of sales, Rick Feighery. “Sesame Street continues to resonate as strongly as ever with children. We’re looking forward to working with our retail partners to use the program to work more fruits and vegetables into children’s diets.” Frank Paone, director of marketing for Procacci, expressed his excitement that the company would be joining the campaign, “For many years now the connection that kids have felt with Sesame Street characters has been such a positive influence on their growing minds,” said Paone. “This great partnership has the potential to make eating healthy fruits and veggies more fun for kids, which will in turn establish the healthy and nutritional diets that kids need, especially during their crucial developmental periods.” According to the National Poll on Children’s Health conducted by the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, childhood obesity was identified as the number one children’s health concern by parents across the United States. Over the last three decades the childhood obesity rate has tripled and the country is now at a cross roads where the rate of children and adolescents that are classified as overweight or obese exceeds one-third. “Parents today face huge challenges in getting their kids to eat fruits and veggies, even delicious ones like blueberries, avocados or our Santa Sweets tomatoes,” said Paone. “Kids are conditioned to think that fruits and veggies are healthy and to them healthy often means bland or bad tasting. The Sesame characters will provide an opportunity for suppliers like us to reach kids and open their eyes to the reality that fruits and veggies can be just as tasty as other snacks.” Procacci expects to launch its new Eat Brighter! packaging during the month of October.

The New Jersey Food Council for Good Government (FCCfGG) honored five policy leaders at the 41st Annual Good Government Breakfast at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township, NJ. This year’s breakfast enjoyed a tremendous turnout as nearly 200 business leaders from New Jersey supermarkets, convenience stores and food companies joined nearly 50 government officials, policy makers and legislators to break bread and discuss the issues that affect the food retail industry, one of the state’s largest business sectors. Nancyanne Fama, vice president of administration and a board member of Food Circus Super Markets, Inc., received the 2014 “Good Government” Award. She serves as co-chair of the New Jersey Food Council Labor Issues Committee, and in her position at Food Circus, she handles human resources, labor relations, contract negotiations and various other responsibilities centered on the administration and direction of the business. “Under Nancy’s tenure, the Labor Issues Committee has been successfully merged with NJFC’s Healthcare Working Group, providing members with convenient access to experts in labor, human resources, workforce development, healthcare, and health insurance issues,” said Linda Doherty, president of the New Jersey Food Council (NJFC). “She is also active on other NJFC committees, including Government Affairs and Food Safety.”

New Jersey Senator Jennifer Back was recognized with the Patriot Award for her championing of SNAP funding.

Along with the “Good Government” Award and the Patriot Award, the FCCfGG presented New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher with the Thomas W. Kelly Government Service, and the Outstanding New Jersey Legislator Awards were presented to Senator Anthony Bucco and Assemblyman Paul Moriarty.

During the event, the New Jersey Food Council introduced the inaugural class of its new Leadership Development Program, and attendees heard a special presentation by Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, on the political landscape in New Jersey and what it means to the business community.

A tip of the hat to our friends at Herr Foods for winning the Strategic Alignment Partnership Award for DSD at the Weis vendor meeting held on October 7 and to the ladies at JOH Produce, Theresa Lowden, Linda Gilroy and their team for being awarded the National Broker of the Year Award by Marie’s.

The circle of life continues as we send out belated congratulations to Chris Superchi, of Haddon House and his wife Jennifer on the birth of their first child Nicholas on July 30. Chris is over the moon and says everyone is doing well.

Birthday shout-outs for the colorful month of October go out to: Mike Keba Jr., Giant/Carlisle; Charles Schuster, retired from RMG; Frank Nardi, retired from Wakefern; Ray Nemeth, Snyder’s/ Lance; Justine Giordano, Vincent Giordano Company; Jeff Ghajar, Goya Foods; Mike Villari, Citterio; and FTN alum Nina Weiland. Buon compleanno a tutti!

Quote of the month: “Results are gained by exploiting opportunities, not by solving problems.” Peter Drucker